For eons, conquering dungeons has been the most efficient way to become a strong adventurer. Although, not everything is as straightforward as it seems. Several questions have always plagued the mind of those that enter these mythical places of power: Why are there so many monsters? Where does the amazing weaponry and heavy gold coins come from? Why does the very air fill with life-giving energies?!

Cal has all of the answers to these age old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Heart, a soul forced against his will into a magical stone. After several lonely years, Cal was able to regain sentience, allowing him to form new memories while slowly growing a dungeon around himself. With help from a friend, Cal learned how to create monsters and traps, increasing his power and size quickly.

When a threat to his existence rears its head, Cal decides that he will do anything to stay alive and become stronger. Unfortunately for treasure-seekers, the fastest way for Cal to achieve his goal... is to eat anyone that enters his depths.

My Opinion: Written by Dakota Krout, this is a fantastic example of a dungeon master/core story. Many of the reviews compare it favorably to the Slime Dungeon by Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue, one of my favorite LitRPG stories.

The story uses ‘cultivation’ instead of experience points or life energy to power the dungeon but don’t worry it’s still LitRPG. It covers the two basic tenets: World with Game Mechanics, and Stated progression of the characters. There are levels, and skills galore in the story.

The dungeon core, Cal, was created after a necromancer stole the soul of a human and put into a crystal. Having lost all its memories, this stone, becomes a dungeon core. It teams up with a friendly Wil O Wisp to create an awesome dungeon.